1. Describe the stasis in the play: where, when, who, what, etc. in a paragraph. Disgraced takes place in Amir and Emily’s apartment on the Upper East side of New York during 2011/12. Emily is a painter and her husband, Amir, is a lawyer at a local firm. Over the course of the play, we meet Abe, Amir’s nephew, and another couple, Jory and Isaac.
2. What is the intrusion? The intrusion of the play occurs when the New York Times publishes Amir’s comment supporting the local Imam, who is jailed for being suspected of raising funds for a potential terrorist group. In addition to heightening the tension between Emily and Amir, this published statement instills fear and anger in Amir’s co-workers (which eventually leads to his anger during the dinner party, his unemployment, and the violent end of his and Emily’s relationship).
3. What is the unique factor? This is day/time period when Amir speaks out for the Imam.
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play? As the play progresses, Amir’s internal conflict regarding his race and ethnicity begins to throw his life off balance. As his discussions with his peers (including Abe) and his wife become more and more heated and convoluted, the question arises: “Will Amir’s internal conflict ever find a state of balance or will it be detrimental?” As the end of the play comes into view, we see Amir’s life and composure coming apart at their seams, giving us our answer: Amir’s internal conflict will cost him everything.
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it. An example of type 1 exposition (information which everyone knows) is that Abe changed his name. An example of type 2 exposition (information which only one or few of the characters know) is when Amir reveals the story of his childhood crush, Rivkah.
6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be. The most theatrical moment in Disgraced was at the end of the play when Amir beats Emily. After learning that Emily has cheated on him, Amir’s anger gets the better of him as he loses control and takes his self-loathing out on Emily. Not only is this scene horrifyingly shocking, but is also is the peak of the tension between Emily and Amir (which has been building throughout the play).
7. List some of the themes of the play. Some of the major themes that develop throughout Disgraced are racism; the assumed interchangeability of race and ethnicity, and beliefs; discrimination; the difficulty in addressing racial, cultural, and ethnic tensions; prejudice; the multifaceted nature of religion and culture (art vs. beliefs vs. history).
8. What does the chief character want and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of his getting what he wants? Over the course of the play, we see Amir struggling with his relationship with his heritage and the opinions/ prejudices of others. Amir grew up Muslim and was raised with Islamic beliefs, however, as he grew older, he began to see the flaws of his religion, as many people do (in every religion). Not wanting to follow these beliefs, he cut himself off from his religion. Despite cutting himself away from Islam, there are still aspects of the religion that stay with him. The result being a conflicted, complex man who is constantly vacillating on where he draws the line between his past and present self (me against myself). One example of an obstacle is his discussions with Abe which highlight and address Amir’s conflictions. In essence, by talking about their ethnic origins, Abe draws Amir’s conflicted views out into the open and questions them, making Amir’s contradicting views unavoidable. Another obstacle that prevents Amir from laying his demons (conflictions between the beliefs and identities of his past and present self) is his race. From the initial lines of the play, we know that Amir is discriminated against based on his race. Seeing his dark skin and middle-eastern features, people all around him assume he’s Muslim and associate him with the terrorist sect of his ‘assumed’ religion. This prejudice, which he faces and battles on a regular, if not daily basis, exacerbates his internal conflict and self-loathing. Essentially, Amir’s perceived identity (how others see him) plays a huge role in his internal conflicts that he struggles to cope with and overcome throughout the play.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play. The most pertinent image of Disgraced is the portrait of Amir that Emily paints. The painting captures all of Amir’s anger, shame, pride, fear, eagerness and hesitance. The painting captures aspects of his heritage, a mixed source of pride, shame, and confusion. It also reveals the hesitance, desire to be accepted, and indignance that Amir feels towards American society. Essentially, the painting depicts Amir as he is, caught between two societies, both of which consider him to be ‘disgraced’. Another possible image in the play is that of Amir, alone and miserable, at the beginning of scene 4. He is disgraced, having beat Emily and lost everything (his self-respect, his job, etc.)
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play. In Disgraced, Amir sees family relationships as roots but adamantly disclaims family as a defining aspect of who a person is. As the play unfolds, it becomes clear that his memories of his family are not pleasant; this is because they are constant and insistent reminders of who he was, who other’s want him to be.
Disgraced takes place in Amir and Emily’s apartment on the Upper East side of New York during 2011/12. Emily is a painter and her husband, Amir, is a lawyer at a local firm. Over the course of the play, we meet Abe, Amir’s nephew, and another couple, Jory and Isaac.
2. What is the intrusion?
The intrusion of the play occurs when the New York Times publishes Amir’s comment supporting the local Imam, who is jailed for being suspected of raising funds for a potential terrorist group. In addition to heightening the tension between Emily and Amir, this published statement instills fear and anger in Amir’s co-workers (which eventually leads to his anger during the dinner party, his unemployment, and the violent end of his and Emily’s relationship).
3. What is the unique factor?
This is day/time period when Amir speaks out for the Imam.
4. What is the dramatic question that should be answered by the end of the play?
As the play progresses, Amir’s internal conflict regarding his race and ethnicity begins to throw his life off balance. As his discussions with his peers (including Abe) and his wife become more and more heated and convoluted, the question arises: “Will Amir’s internal conflict ever find a state of balance or will it be detrimental?” As the end of the play comes into view, we see Amir’s life and composure coming apart at their seams, giving us our answer: Amir’s internal conflict will cost him everything.
5. Provide an illustration of the two kinds of exposition that the play has in it.
An example of type 1 exposition (information which everyone knows) is that Abe changed his name. An example of type 2 exposition (information which only one or few of the characters know) is when Amir reveals the story of his childhood crush, Rivkah.
6. Identify the most theatrical moment in the play and of what importance it seems to be.
The most theatrical moment in Disgraced was at the end of the play when Amir beats Emily. After learning that Emily has cheated on him, Amir’s anger gets the better of him as he loses control and takes his self-loathing out on Emily. Not only is this scene horrifyingly shocking, but is also is the peak of the tension between Emily and Amir (which has been building throughout the play).
7. List some of the themes of the play.
Some of the major themes that develop throughout Disgraced are racism; the assumed interchangeability of race and ethnicity, and beliefs; discrimination; the difficulty in addressing racial, cultural, and ethnic tensions; prejudice; the multifaceted nature of religion and culture (art vs. beliefs vs. history).
8. What does the chief character want and what are some obstacles that stand in the way of his getting what he wants?
Over the course of the play, we see Amir struggling with his relationship with his heritage and the opinions/ prejudices of others.
Amir grew up Muslim and was raised with Islamic beliefs, however, as he grew older, he began to see the flaws of his religion, as many people do (in every religion). Not wanting to follow these beliefs, he cut himself off from his religion. Despite cutting himself away from Islam, there are still aspects of the religion that stay with him. The result being a conflicted, complex man who is constantly vacillating on where he draws the line between his past and present self (me against myself). One example of an obstacle is his discussions with Abe which highlight and address Amir’s conflictions. In essence, by talking about their ethnic origins, Abe draws Amir’s conflicted views out into the open and questions them, making Amir’s contradicting views unavoidable. Another obstacle that prevents Amir from laying his demons (conflictions between the beliefs and identities of his past and present self) is his race. From the initial lines of the play, we know that Amir is discriminated against based on his race. Seeing his dark skin and middle-eastern features, people all around him assume he’s Muslim and associate him with the terrorist sect of his ‘assumed’ religion. This prejudice, which he faces and battles on a regular, if not daily basis, exacerbates his internal conflict and self-loathing. Essentially, Amir’s perceived identity (how others see him) plays a huge role in his internal conflicts that he struggles to cope with and overcome throughout the play.
9. Describe some possible images in the play and how does the title help us understand the play.
The most pertinent image of Disgraced is the portrait of Amir that Emily paints. The painting captures all of Amir’s anger, shame, pride, fear, eagerness and hesitance. The painting captures aspects of his heritage, a mixed source of pride, shame, and confusion. It also reveals the hesitance, desire to be accepted, and indignance that Amir feels towards American society. Essentially, the painting depicts Amir as he is, caught between two societies, both of which consider him to be ‘disgraced’.
Another possible image in the play is that of Amir, alone and miserable, at the beginning of scene 4. He is disgraced, having beat Emily and lost everything (his self-respect, his job, etc.)
10. Briefly define the family relationships that are examined in the play.
In Disgraced, Amir sees family relationships as roots but adamantly disclaims family as a defining aspect of who a person is. As the play unfolds, it becomes clear that his memories of his family are not pleasant; this is because they are constant and insistent reminders of who he was, who other’s want him to be.